Save Article

Singapore Vote Marks Key Test for Ruling Party

Calls rise for an ‘opposing voice’ as the People’s Action Party faces its most hotly contested election in 50 years

Singaporeans will go to the polls on Sept. 11. The election will be watched closely for signs of whether voters continue their drift toward the opposition, or have swung back to the ruling People’s Action Party. Photo/Video: Guilad Kahn for The Wall Street Journal

SINGAPORE—The political party that led this multiethnic former British colony with an iron fist for 50 years faces its biggest electoral test yet on Friday.

Almost no one thinks the People’s Action Party, led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, risks losing the parliamentary election. But many agree that its hold on power is softening as economic growth slows and opposition parties gain clout, paving the way for Singapore’s most hotly contested vote.